According to scholarly sources, in 858 AD, a handsome boy was born in the family of Muhammad in the village of Panjrud, which was part of Samarkand and is now a village in the Panjakent district of the Sughd region. He was named Ja'far, and no one could have imagined that years later, the fame of his poetry would reach Bukhara — the capital of the Samanid state. He was invited to the court, where he became known as the king of poets — Malik-ush-Shuara Abu Abdullah Rudaki. After many years at the court, he became a famous poet of his time and made his native village Panjrud, or Rudak, famous worldwide with his exceptional poetic talent. The thousand-year history of Tajik literature is closely linked with the name of its founder, the master Rudaki. His contemporaries and later literary figures honored Rudaki with honorary titles such as Odamushuaro (Man of Poetry), Qofilasoro-yi Nazm-i Farsi (Patron of Persian Poetry), Sohibqiroi Shoiron (King of Poets), Sultoni Shoiron (Sultan of Poets), Maqaddamushuaro (Leader of Poets), and others.
Every year, on September 22, the Republic of Tajikistan celebrates Rudaki Day.
